I will be chief minister if people so desire: Munde

Nagpur: Reiterating that he wants to shift to the national political scene, rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary and Maharashtra strongman Gopinath Munde says he has not shed his chief ministerial ambitions.

"I am going to contest the next Lok Sabha elections and, maybe, join the central Cabinet if the National Democratic Alliance [NDA] comes to power. But I can always come back to Maharashtra and be chief minister if the people so desire," Munde, who recently created a storm by resigning from all party posts, said.

The former deputy chief minister, perceived as the only mass-based leader of the BJP in the state, talked exclusively about his recent rebellion and the party's electoral prospects in Maharashtra. He was here to attend the party's dhaan utpadak parishad (paddy growers' rally) in Sakoli.

Popular

"Narendra Modi went to Gujarat as chief minister from the party's national set up and Shivraj Singh Chauhan went to Madhya Pradesh. Likewise, I can go back to Maharashtra," Munde said, when asked to comment on his popular image as the future chief minister of Maharashtra.

"My desire to move to the centre is akin to a student's natural desire to move up to the higher class; it doesn't mean I have lost interest in state politics," said Munde, whose differences with the party's state unit chief Nitin Gadkari are common knowledge.

Denying that he got a reprieve from the party after his public criticism over its style of functioning, he asserted that his grievances were addressed because the party leadership knew his worth and commitment.

"There is no question of jeev-daan [reprieve] or any other daan [consideration]", Munde said. He had earlier alleged that there was no democracy in the BJP.

Marginalisation

Munde's pent up anger over his "marginalisation" in recent years exploded when the party appointed Madhu Chavan as its Mumbai unit chief on April 20 despite his stiff opposition.

Swinging into damage control mode, the party's national leadership called Munde over to New Delhi for conciliatory talks the next day, replaced Chavan and announced that the party would fight the forthcoming elections in the state under Munde's leadership.